KITCHENER — Robbie Hain has been reunited with a pair of prized possessions, thanks in large part to the power of social media.

His two guitars — a 1978 Gibson Les Paul and a cherished 1976 Ibanez Flying V — were stolen from the back seat of his car Monday — his 52nd birthday — during a brief stop at the Stanley Park Mall.

The Kitchener resident admits he didn't lock his PT Cruiser when he popped in to buy groceries, assuming people weren't going to "rifle through a car at 2 o'clock in the afternoon with an Australian shepherd sitting in the front seat."

How wrong he was.

His friendly dog, Demon, was still there when he returned, but the guitars, which were both in cases and destined for a local shop to be serviced, had vanished.

"I thought maybe one of my buddies was playing a trick on me or something, so I looked around and asked a few people, but nothing," Hain said Thursday.

"So I went home to collect my thoughts, called the police and then got on Facebook right away."

Hain, the former manager of Kitchener's legendary Lulu's Roadhouse, posted details of the theft and asked for help in getting his guitars back. He was especially attached to the Flying V, as it once belonged to his close friend Bruno Mambella, who died in a 2006 car crash.

Mambella was a skilled guitarist, sound technician and road manager from Kitchener who worked with the likes of Kim Mitchell and Holly Cole. Hain had admired the Flying V for years and Mambella told his buddy it was his if anything should ever happen to him.

Mambella's mother presented Hain with the guitar shortly after her son's death.

The response to Hain's Facebook post was almost immediate as 143 friends shared it. His initial post was eventually shared more than 500 times, said Hain, and he received words of support from all over North America, as well as friends and family in Scotland.

"It started right away and I couldn't believe the help I got and the good thoughts that were sent my way," said Hain.

"It made me see how good people can be and it was nice to see social media being good for something other than the usual gossip and garbage."

Hain said the post caught the attention of a Kitchener man who realized his son was involved in the crime and ordered him to return the guitars to their rightful owner.

Hain discovered he would be getting them back on Thursday afternoon while driving to London. An unknown caller said his father had told him Hain was a good guy that had done a lot of charity work over the years and the guitars were to be returned immediately.

Hain and his AC/DC cover band, Dirty Deeds, have been staging charity concerts for close to 30 years and have has raised close to $400,000 during that time. He is a sheet-metal worker by trade, spending much of his time in Newfoundland.

The guitars were returned Thursday evening when a young man — Hain figured he was in his early 20s — said he and a friend were sorry for what they had done.

"He shows up and says, 'I'm so, so sorry and I wouldn't blame you if you punched me in the mouth right now.' I could see he meant it and didn't want to get the police involved," said Hain.

"I just said, 'Look buddy, don't do that to anyone ever again. Stealing is not cool, as everyone knows, but you took something of sentimental value that could not be replaced.' I think he learned his lesson."

Hain learned his lesson as well, and said from now on he will lock his car when he's carrying valuables.

With a laugh, he also suggested he will take Demon to guard-dog school because "right now all he'll do is lick you to death."

Glad you got your guitars back, Robbie ! I knew Bruno quite well. I went to his memorial at the Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto that Kim M. had for him. It was a drag the way Bruno was killed. :-( Bruno was in a friends band "Iron Lucy" back then. played Eruption note for note.